Posted on 02/16/2007 6:52:46 PM PST by EternalVigilance
ABC News' Jonathan Greenberger Reports: Republican presidential candididate Mitt Romney offered a new explanation today for why he supported a Democrat in 1992.
That year, Romney, then a registered independent, voted for former Sen. Paul Tsongas in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary. He told ABC's George Stephanopoulos, in an interview that will air Sunday on "This Week," that his vote was meant as a tactical maneuver aimed at finding the weakest opponent for incumbent President George H.W. Bush.
"In Massachusetts, if you register as an independent, you can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary," said Romney, who until he made an unsuccessful run for Senate in 1994 had spent his adult life as a registered independent. "When there was no real contest in the Republican primary, I'd vote in the Democrat primary, vote for the person who I thought would be the weakest opponent for the Republican."
But 12 years ago, the Boston Globe reported that Romney was giving a different explanation for his vote for Tsongas.
"Romney confirmed he voted for former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas in the state's 1992 Democratic presidential primary, saying he did so both because Tsongas was from Massachusetts and because he favored his ideas over those of Bill Clinton," the Boston Globe's Scot Lehigh and Frank Phillips wrote on Feb. 3, 1994. "He added he had been sure the G.O.P. would renominate George Bush, for whom he voted in the fall election."
*snip*
Romney has previously come under fire for donating to a series of Democratic candidates in the 1992 election, including then-Congressmen Dick Swett, D-N.H., and John LaFalce, D-N.Y.
For the full interview with Romney, tune in to "This Week" on Sunday.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
Please provide a working link. Thanks.
You know, there has been a lot of talk about that tactic around FR, particularly in presidential election years, but to hear it from a politician makes it sound weaselly.
I remember when conservatives used to hate that about people, man that was a long time ago..
Democrats do the same thing in Republican primaries, like last March in IL, when they crossed over and voted for that RINO Topinka.
I know a lot of people who do that in primaries.
Well, I know it's not a Republican-only tactic, but when a "leading" politician claims that that was his thinking, it just doesn't sound true.
"I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country. I have since the time that my mom took that position when she ran in 1970 as a US Senate candidate. I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it." - Mitt Romney
lol...
I met Tsongas once and I liked him. Very personable and friendly, which is rare with politicians unless the cameras are on. Tsongas was wrong on some issues and surprisingly right on others, specifically tax cuts and economic policy.
The whole nation would have fared better if Tsongas had been elected president in 1992 rather than Clinton.
And, disagree with Tsongas or not, the cancer that eclipsed his career is very sad. And John Kerry now has Tsongas' senate seat.
Tsongas was a lot better than what followed him - John Kerry.
Does anyone know: is Mitt Romney the son of George Romney, former Governor of Michigan and Nixon's first HUD secretary?
Romney's dismal record as the Republican leader in Massachusetts
Romney pledged to build the Massachusetts Republican Party, but in fact he did almost nothing. During his tenure there were two elections for the entire Legislature (2004 and 2006). In each election the Republicans lost seats. Republicans now hold the fewest seats in the Legislature since the Civil War.
During the four years of Romney's tenure, the number of registered Republicans in Massachusetts fell by 31,000. During that same period, the Massachusetts Democratic Party gained 30,000.
- Boston Globe 11/2/2006
In the 2006 elections, most offices were not even challenged by Republican candidates. In the November general election for the six statewide Massachusetts constitutional offices there were more Green-Rainbow Party candidates on the ballot than Republicans!
The party's slide has been so precipitous that Republicans yesterday did not contest 130 of 200 legislative seats, fielded a challenger in only three of 10 congressional districts, and put up fewer candidates for statewide office (three) than the Green-Rainbow Party (four).
- Boston Globe, 11/8/2006
In 2006, while Romney was chairman of the National Republican Governors Association - a group dedicated to electing more Republican governors - his own hand-picked Republican successor as governor lost badly to the Democrat, despite the fact that Republicans have held the governorship in Massachusetts since 1990. Romney largely ignored the Massachusetts elections and spent most of the time during the campaign out of state building his presidential campaign. He came back and publicly campaigned for the Republican candidate the day before the general election!
"Locally, this is a rebuke to Mitt Romney and checking out within six months after being elected and having accomplished almost nothing," said [Jim] Rappaport [former chairman of the state Republican Party].
- Boston Globe, 11/8/2006
"Romney arrived on the scene with great promise, but is leaving the Republican Party here in shambles. Not only are the Republicans yielding the governor's office for the first time in 16 years, but registered Republicans have fallen by 31,000 since Romney took office, and their legislative presence is at historic lows. But it worked out fine for him: He is now chasing the prize he really covets, the presidency."
- Boston Globe 11/8/2006
"The Massachusetts Republican Party died last Tuesday. The cause of death: failed leadership. The party is survived by a few leftover legislators and a handful of county officials and grassroots activists who have been ignored for years. Services will be public and a mass exodus of taxpayers will follow. In lieu of flowers, send messages to New Hampshire Republican voters warning them about a certain presidential candidate named Romney."
- Boston Herald, 11/12/2006
http://massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/
Most all of Mitt's "evolving" has taken place since he started running for President.
I don't care if the GOP nominee is Romney, Giuliani, McCain, Huckabee, or anyone else. They are all preferable to PIAPS or any other RAT.
Thanks for info. Strike one for Romney.
Cruelest epitath coined by the media against George Romney: watching him run for president was like watching a duck make love to a football.
And the "Romney later explained..." tag line coined by the media to keep track of all the flip-flops and back-peddling.
And the infamous "brainwashing" from the generals during his visit to Southeast Asia in 1967.
If these are Mitt Romney's genes, I am instantly less impressed.
You sure?
"Most of Clinton's policies are similar to most of mine." - Rudy Giuliani
lol...It's a family tradition! :-)
Yes, I am sure because Rudy will vigorously prosecute the war on terror and appoint decent judges to the courts. PIAPS will do neither of these things; in fact, she'll do the exact opposite.
*Does anyone know: is Mitt Romney the son of George Romney, former Governor of Michigan*
The same George Romney who said the Generals brainwashed him on the Vietnam war and became a critic of the war
I don't believe either. Giuliani's response to terror attacks in NYC prior to 9-11 was to ban more guns and thumb his nose at the law to let hundreds of thousands more illegal foreign nationals reside in his city.
And those who are buying what he's selling on judges are either willfully ignorant or just plain ignorant. Liberals pick liberals. It's been hard enough getting a decent judge out of so-called "conservatives."
TRUTH
I can't for a moment imagine a President Giuliani granting pardons to the Felons Clinton pardoned on his way out of the White House...
And the dog ate his homework as well.
For cryin' out loud, this just sandbags all the claims by Romney that his rightwar turn is truthful. If he can tell us a whopper like this, then it's all whoppers.
Is that the new criteria for "leader of the free world" and "leader of the GOP?"
Don't you think we can aim a little higher than that?
That's been obvious all along. It escapes me how anyone could fall for it.
I would have much less of a problem if Romney just said that he voted for Tsongas for the reasons you just stated.
But he didn't.
I'm sorry, but this reeks of a a freshly-deposited meadow muffin. And it calls into serious question all the other stuff Romney has been saying to try and convince conseratives that he truly has moved rightward.
Off to the gallows for you.
Why not? Rudy defied federal law and federal court orders to protect NYC's sanctuary city policies. And those policies lead directly to a highly-publicized murder of a resident by illegals that should have been deported.
Paul "Tax on Gas" (wow that brings back memories) would have lost to Bush I in 1992. However, if he was really wanting to select the weakest candidate in the Democratic primary..he would have voted for Governor Moonbeam.
You're right.
"ABC News' Jonathan Greenberger Reports: Republican presidential candididate Mitt Romney offered a new explanation today for why he supported a Democrat in 1992."
Dang it. I had just gotten over his pro-abort/anti-abort about face and now this.
*BUMP*
Check out post #16, folks.
Surely you do not blame Mitt for the continued decline of the GOP in Mass to nothingness do you? If you do, you think local politicians have far more influence than I do. Mass is filled with academics and health care providers, has very few fundamentalist Christians, and dislikes chat about American uniqueness. The place enjoys thinking of itself as sophisticated, hip and European.
Actually, the MA GOP decline can be blamed on Bill Weld, who makes Romney look conservative by comparison.
Finally, everything is above board. I've helped destroy this country, so its ok, if our presidential candidate has helped to destory this country too.
Which views of Ronald Reagan evolved? Don't say he was a democrat in the 1940's. I asked which of his views changed.
My hypothesis is that larger forces are at work. Massachussets among other things, is never going to be interested in a party that has its base in the South, as long as the South is the South. But it goes beyond that. It goes to how the higher wage earners make their money, and they make it off academia, high tech finance and computer stuff, and high tech health care.
That's true. But Mass. will never vote for anyone right of Kennedy anyway, so it doesn't matter.
The more Mitt Romney explains, the less convincing he is. In fairness to him, he was dealt a weak hand as Governor of MA, with a rodent-dominiated legislature and Surpreme Court. But his many changes of position are suspicious.
I don't think he should be ruled out, as he does have some significant accomplishments. But the skepticism of conservatives is fully warranted. I'm still willing to hear him out, but he has a lot of convincing to do.
A Governor generally has ultimate blame for the gains or losses of his party (at least at the state and legislative level and success at passing off the office to a fellow member of their party), so I do hold Romney responsible for everything that occurred on his watch. The fact is, even if there are "few" Republicans of the variety you describe, he didn't even much help the RINO candidates, either. That old reference article I kept (I'm not on my own computer) showed that even liberal Republican candidates for office were ignored by the likes of not only Romney, but Weld, too (someone Romney considered one of his political models to follow). As the article points out, Romney's sole goal was advancing his career with respect to getting the Presidential nomination, anything else was superfluous to him.
BTW, even you'd admit that MA isn't 89% rodent, as its legislative makeup is.
You're so measured. I simply consider him the biggest fraud in American politics today. At least Giuliani admitted that his policies are pretty much the same as Clinton's.
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